Need input on Portable DVD Players for vehicle!

lovinwaves

New member
DH and I were looking at Circuit City last night, and I didn't realize the DVD portable system were soooo cheap! We thought we would never purchase something like that because of the price, but we were quite surprised to see how much they have come down in price. I need everyones input on DVD's systems for cars, and safety (of course).

I think I read somewhere maybe on the odyclub.com forum that CPSDarren has a set up in his Odyssey?
 
ADS

abacus2

Well-known member
I've read recently that there was a study showing that these systems were a significant distraction not to you, the driver, but to the other drivers around you.
 

adamsmommy

New member
We have a off brand Wal-Mart one and like it. It had 2 screens that hung on both seats or you could have one for the front passenger. We went on a 12-14 hour car trip and it was a great investment because it kept Adam entertained very well. He was amazed at watching tv in the car I guess. IT also came with a game controller and had video games built in. Great for mommy while Adam was sleeping.:)
 

adamsmommy

New member
Oh, and I did catch dh trying to catch a peek at it while driving:eek: So i made sure to turn it so he could not see it at all!!! And we paid $160 for it I think.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
We use portable DVDs on long trips ( more than 3 hours or so). One is a battery powered off brand unit that came with headrest attachment straps for about $100 or so. The other is a 2-screen Car DC powered unit that came with headrest attachment straps and a game unit ( http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4100513 ). They all have inputs and outputs so you can share programs or plug in a game unit.

Unlike the 9" and bigger built-in screens that drop from the roof, these don't obstruct the driver's visibility at all since they are on the back of a head rest. They also aren't visible much, if at all, to other drivers. Since they are mounted behind headrests, it's hard to see how they would pose a significant risk in a frontal crash. I suppose the attachment straps could break in a severe side or rear crash. It's also something a child's head could hit if they are thrown that far forward. I don't consider those to be anything but very unlikely risks, but others might be concerned.

I see off-brand models with 7" and smaller screens for $50 sometimes. The more reputable brands like Sony and Toshiba usually cost a little more. Not all of them come with straps to mount them in a vehicle, though. Granted, they're so small, they can be used hand held. Probably no more dangerous on a child's lap than a large book or a Gameboy.
 

lovinwaves

New member
Since our kids are rear-facing and will be for quite sometime would it be safe to strap one on the front of the second row's headrests?
 

ccjones

New member
DH and I had this same discussion a few months ago. I saw this brand at Target and the thing I liked about it is that it comes with a headrest mounting bracket. You would take the headrest off, and "thread" the bracket through the two metal posts on the headrests, then push the headrest w/the bracket back onto the vehicle seat until it clicks tight. I thought this might be somewhat safer than the monitors that use the elastic straps that go around the headrest. It might not be good for multiple children, though, because the whole unit is self-contained, meaning the DVD player is built in with the monitor as one single unit. I don't know if there is the capability to connect another monitor to this unit to display the DVD being played.
 

Splash

New member
Why do you want it?
Are you taking super long rides often that the children really need something to keep them from going crazy?
I am totally opposed to every day use of DVDs in cars, and Charlie has once watched a movie in the car, on my laptop, on a 5.5 hour drive (and only the last twenty minutes of it really).

For a really long drive, it might be worth it to have them. But I don't think it's worth the risk, not only physically, to have them for everyday use, especially in front of a RF child. Those things are heavy with sharp edges, just not worth it on an every day basis.

My opinion is to skip them entirely unless you're taking a long road trip where it is in everyones best interest to have the kids watch TV. If you DO get one, especially for a RF kid, get one of the ones that mount with metal on the headrest like a PP mentioned.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Good question. I've used it that way, but I do have a tethered RF seat. There's a greater risk of it breaking off in a frontal crash, though his monitor is just a screen since the player is in the other unit. So, it's pretty light. I doubt there would be enough force to break both straps, but it's possible.

I have to say they were awesome on our trips from Chicago to Orlando and to Hershey, PA. I'm not sure where we're going over spring break after Lifesavers, but they make long trips a lot easier;-)
 

LuvBug

New member
I saw last night walmart selling this http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5192417 for this brand of player(or maybe this specific player) http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5192416
and wondered how safe it was or if it was just to make it easier to adjust the angle.
I have this one http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/82/62/19/00/0082621900071_AV5_500X500.jpg
(http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3629763) and although it is the biggest PITA to change out the disc, I really like it. I use it for pure distraction only(of the child of course) and it probably gets turned on 2-3 times a month. His favorite movie is a documentary on dolphins that I got from the $1 DVD section at walmart lol! He can get extremely distracting in the car sometimes and so it was a great investment to help keep everyone calm(and my focused).
 

lovinwaves

New member
Why do you want it?
Are you taking super long rides often that the children really need something to keep them from going crazy?
I am totally opposed to every day use of DVDs in cars, and Charlie has once watched a movie in the car, on my laptop, on a 5.5 hour drive (and only the last twenty minutes of it really).

For a really long drive, it might be worth it to have them. But I don't think it's worth the risk, not only physically, to have them for everyday use, especially in front of a RF child. Those things are heavy with sharp edges, just not worth it on an every day basis.

My opinion is to skip them entirely unless you're taking a long road trip where it is in everyones best interest to have the kids watch TV. If you DO get one, especially for a RF kid, get one of the ones that mount with metal on the headrest like a PP mentioned.

Before we had kids Dh and I were totally opposed to ever having a DVD system in our car. That is one reason we did not get the Touring Model Odyssey. We barely let the kids watch tv in the house as it is. Well, now that we have TWO kids it seems ok to me to let them watch it on long trips only. We frequently take a 3-4 hour drive (one way) to my parents lake house at Lake of the Ozarks all throughout the year, so that is when we would be using it the most. In the summer we may go down there every weekend. Let me tell you, Missouri is quite the fun state for scenery...NOT!! We also take 1 or 2 long trip vacations a year. Like 10-12 hour trips (one way)...

Anyhoo, DH was kind of interested in being able to watch it himself in the back seat with Peyton (not the baby). We would also be putting our PlayStation in there also, so he can play video games while the kids are sleeping. :rolleyes:
 

adamsmommy

New member
Hey the Ozarks!! We are going to Branson next weekend. Well maybe.:eek: I live just outside of St Louis on the Illinois side!
 

lovinwaves

New member
Hey the Ozarks!! We are going to Branson next weekend. Well maybe.:eek: I live just outside of St Louis on the Illinois side!

Have fun Carissa!! I have always wanted to go to Branson during the holiday season. I have heard it is absolutely beautiful....and busy of course :p
And as always, have a safe trip, and be sure and buckle the kids extra tight :D
 

skipspin

New member
We have a portable DVD player (1.5 yrs old under $200) that we use on long trips (over 3-4 hours) for DD. We don't keep it in the car so she never even buggs us about it when we are driving around town or to church (45 min 3x a week.) We did choose to use it even when she was RFing AND tethered when she was over 2, and had it secured as best we could to the back of the seat she was sitting in. It attached better lower and we figured it would be better if it didn't hit her head anyway. Now that she is FFing it's a lot easier. We usually attach it to the outboard seat in front of her (she's in the center) so I think it's even less of a risk since she's not directly behind it.

As a side note- I lived in Branson on Table Rock until college and moved to FL when I got married. It is pretty even in the winter, but I prefer Spring, Summer or Fall. Then again, I love Florida, so I generally prefer warmer weather and green trees. My parents still live there, and we visited in August. Ugh, 21 hours away. Thank goodness for DVD players. LOL.
 

Kellyr2

New member
Darren, I'm so relieved to hear your thoughts on the ones mounted to the headrests! We'd thought of getting a system like the one at Walmart that you linked to In fact, i think that's the exact one we looked at) and then I decided that they probably weren't safe enough. Now dh has been bugging me to get one for the kids and I wasn't convinced yet. But if you say they should be safe, then I'm convinced on that aspect. Just gotta decide where that money is coming from LOL. And where we'd mount them, as teh way our kids are set up, it'll be hard to get them so that they can both see well. (Husky on 3rd row, passenger side, would be able to see the one on the front passenger seat back well. Marathon on 2nd row, middle... I wonder if the angle would mean she wouldn't be able to see. You know how with those screens you usually have to be straight in front of it to see well. And there's no where else to mount the 2nd one where she could see it, either. The infant seat is on the 2nd row drivers side, and would block it if we put it on the drivers seat. )

SO anyway... if we figure out how to pay for one and where to put one... I'm convinced that they're safe enough. Certainly better than the handheld one they have now.
And yes, we take 7-8 hr drives 3-4 times/year right now. I think when we go in Dec, it'll be our 4th time this year. Easterish, June, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Well, I'm not saying they are safe. I'm just saying I happen to think they are safe enough for me to use with my own kids;-)
 

Kellyr2

New member
Well, yes, I understood that LOL. But I was kinda wishy washy on them, debating whether they were "safe enough" and I figure if other safety nuts do find them to be "safe enough" then I'm probably being a bit over-paranoid.
 

lovinwaves

New member
We use portable DVDs on long trips ( more than 3 hours or so). One is a battery powered off brand unit that came with headrest attachment straps for about $100 or so. The other is a 2-screen Car DC powered unit that came with headrest attachment straps and a game unit ( http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4100513 ). They all have inputs and outputs so you can share programs or plug in a game unit.

Unlike the 9" and bigger built-in screens that drop from the roof, these don't obstruct the driver's visibility at all since they are on the back of a head rest. They also aren't visible much, if at all, to other drivers. Since they are mounted behind headrests, it's hard to see how they would pose a significant risk in a frontal crash. I suppose the attachment straps could break in a severe side or rear crash. It's also something a child's head could hit if they are thrown that far forward. I don't consider those to be anything but very unlikely risks, but others might be concerned.

I see off-brand models with 7" and smaller screens for $50 sometimes. The more reputable brands like Sony and Toshiba usually cost a little more. Not all of them come with straps to mount them in a vehicle, though. Granted, they're so small, they can be used hand held. Probably no more dangerous on a child's lap than a large book or a Gameboy.

Ok maybe this is a silly question, but in the photos on the walmart site it doesn't show any wires? Does the wire between the two unit just go across the seats? Also if I had these strapped onto the second row headrests facing towards the front of the vehicle where could I plug in the adaptor? ('05 Odyssey EX-L)
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
We've been thinking about getting one for our yearly trip to the Outer Banks, but it would have to attach to the center console between the front seats. There's no where else to put it....
 

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